Six Things That Went Wrong With The Sixth-Gen Chevy Camaro: Opinion
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We’ll just come right out and say it: the situation with the Chevy Camaro isn’t pretty. In fact, it’s downright ugly.
During its first model year back on the market, the fifth-generation, Chevy Camaro recorded over 81,000 deliveries in 2010. Comparatively, the sixth-generation Camaro saw only 29,775 deliveries in 2020. That was during a year riddled with COVID-related production issues, so let’s wind the clock back a year to 2019, when the muscle car sold only 48,265 units. But those figures were also impacted by the UAW’s infamous strike that sapped roughly 40 days of production, not to mention development of vehicle programs. In 2018, a year not impacted by any issues, the Camaro recorded a measly 50,963 deliveries. No matter which way you slice it, Camaro sales have been on a downward trajectory ever since 2014 – the high point of fifth- and sixth-gen sales volume.
Sales Results - USA - Camaro
| Year | Total |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 24,652 |
| 2021 | 21,893 |
| 2020 | 29,775 |
| 2019 | 48,265 |
| 2018 | 50,963 |
| 2017 | 67,940 |
| 2016 | 72,705 |
| 2015 | 77,502 |
| 2014 | 86,297 |
| 2013 | 80,567 |
| 2012 | 84,391 |
| 2011 | 88,249 |
| 2010 | 81,299 |
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.
With the Camaro set to be discontinued after the 2024 model year, let’s take a step back and explore what led to the legendary nameplate’s second demise.
GM’s Strategic Pivot
Arguably the biggest reason for the Camaro’s upcoming demise was not the car itself, but rather the monumental change in business strategy by Chevy parent, General Motors. The Detroit-based automaker made a very conscious and strategic decision to go all-in electric vehicles (EVs), autonomous vehicles (AVs), and other new business ventures such as BrightDrop, GM Defense, HydroTec, Cruise, and the now-discontinued Maven, Book by Cadillac and Ariv.
All of those areas required massive financial outlays in the billions, absorbing capital from low-volume, low-margin products like the Camaro. The newfound direction also meant redirecting planning, design, and engineering staff to those new projects, with the most famous example being the assignment of Camaro chief engineer, Al Oppenheiser, to the GMC Hummer EV program. All that resulted in less important yet fun products like the Camaro being put out to pasture.
However, the problems with the Camaro started way before GM’s major strategic pivot. Let’s now explore the product-related issues that plagued the sixth-gen Camaro.
Issue 1: More Expensive Entry-Level Models
When the sixth-gen Camaro launched for the 2016 model year, its starting price was $1,995 higher than that of the previous-generation 2015 model. The difference grew to $3,490 for models equipped with the 3.6L LGX V6 engine, since the base 2016 Camaro was equipped with a turbo four-cylinder – the 2.0L LTG I4 – a first for the nameplate. Then, SS models with the 6.2L LT1 V8 engine started $2,795 more than their fifth-gen equivalents. The increase in price appeared to create a scenario that pushed price-conscious buyers to more affordable offerings from Ford and Dodge.
GM reacted by introducing the 3LT trim level for the 2019 model year, which enabled Chevy to offer the Camaro 1LT and 2LT trim levels with less equipment and at lower price points than the 2016-2018 Camaro models. By this time, though, the downward spiral in Camaro sales figures had already taken hold.
Similarly, higher prices of Camaro V8 models compared to those of the Mustang GT base and Challenger R/T compounded the issue and resulted in the introduction of the bare-bones LT1 model for the 2020 model year. When it entered the market, the LT1 had a starting price of $34,995, making it more affordable than the V8-powered Challenger and Mustang models and about $2,000 less than a 2019 Camaro 1SS. Although it was more affordable, the LT1 still offered respectable components, including Brembo brakes and Recaro performance seats.
Issue 2: Controversial Design
Whether you love it, like it, or hate it, the styling of the sixth-generation Chevy Camaro has always been a point of contention. The general consensus is that the new model wasn’t different enough from its fifth-gen predecessor, which ultimately worked against the muscle car.
While this is indeed a subjective measure, the way a vehicle looks and its perception in the public eye can surely be a contributing factor when it comes to sales performance. To that end, this is not merely a reflection of what we think of the car ourselves. Yours truly was a big fan of the sixth-gen Camaro, particularly the monstrous ZL1 1LE. In fact, I liked it so much that I decided to purchase my very own.
To assuage criticism that the design of the sixth-gen Camaro wasn’t different enough from the fifth-gen model, Chevy updated the styling in conjunction with the 2019 model year refresh. Notably, the ZL1 trim level was the only model to forego the updated fascia, which ended up backfiring on The Bow Tie. The short-lived facelift generated such a negative reaction that the automaker made a snap decision to introduce a “concept” fascia design for the car during the 2018 SEMA show. The revised front end was then rolled out for the 2020 model year, effectively representing a facelift to the facelift.
Despite rolling out a hasty correction for the questionable change – which was ironically done to boost sales in the first place – interest in the pony car continued to dwindle. To put it in perspective, 48,265 units of the Camaro were sold in 2019 versus 29,775 units in 2020.
Issue 3: Poor Outward Visibility
The sixth-gen Camaro was often hammered for its less-than-optimal outward visibility. While some might disagree with this criticism (myself included), the point stands that it is much harder to see out of one of these Camaros than its direct rival – the Mustang. In its defense, select trim levels come standard with blind spot detection, and some drivers appreciate a vehicle that requires a heightened sense of awareness.
Inspiring a sense of confidence is a major selling point for cars in this segment, and while the Camaro certainly does so mechanically, it arguably leaves much to be desired when one is actually sitting behind the steering wheel, which brings us to our next point: the interior.
Issue 4: Sub-Par Interior Materials And Quality
Another demerit for the Gen Six Camaro was its interior quality, or lack thereof. Generally speaking, the Camaro cost more than its rivals, creating the expectation of a superior cabin than its competitors. For some, the Camaro’s higher levels of performance, handling and driver engagement more than overcame the demerits of its cabin, but that also wasn’t the case for many.
Aside from feeling cramped, the plastics and seating materials were often criticized for “feeling cheap” and leaving much to be desired. The forward-leaning center screen was also a bit strange, though in its defense, it does prevent sun glare in Convertible models.
Issue 5: Little To No Marketing
Unfortunately, many are simply unaware of the Camaro’s existence, even today. Sure, the Camaro has more presence than the Holden Commodore-based Chevy SS sedan, but the fact remains that we rarely saw any commercials or ads for the sixth-gen Camaro. In fact, my own Camaro was even mistaken for a Mustang. While a more passionate car enthusiast would have never made this mistake, a car needs to be recognized and well-received by the general public and broader consumer base if it has any chance of achieving sales success (see Tesla), which is the number-one priority in a business that aims to turn a profit.
Ironically, the Chevy Camaro ZL1 has finally made it to the big screen in the movie Free Guy in which it plays a supporting role for Ryan Reynolds’ character, Guy. The spotlight is, however, perhaps a bit too late to have any positive impact on the muscle car’s future.
Issue 6: More Sports Car Than Muscle Car
Speaking of performance, did we mention the fact that the 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE ran a 7 minute and 16 second lap at the Nürburgring? While the Gen Six Camaro was praised for this feat, it began to be referred to as a sports coupe. Moving away from its muscle car roots may have done more harm than good to the nameplate, as its lesser-capable rivals began to widen the sales gap. In addition, Chevy already has a bonafide sports car in its stable – the Corvette. Despite the latter being twice as expensive (or even more), having two sports cars in the family might not have been a winning formula.
Ultimately, this is where the Camaro fell short. It’s beloved by enthusiasts who want top-dollar performance on a budget, but doesn’t really deliver for anyone else. While it can be praised as being one of the most capable vehicles of its time and lauded for giving buyers affordable performance, it looks like a failed product in the eyes of the accounting department.
Looking back, all of these factors contributed to the seemingly inevitable demise of the Chevy Camaro. Plans for the seventh-gen ICE model have been shelved, and GM has been very mum on whether or not the nameplate will live on as a high-performance electric vehicle. At least GM execs haven’t completely ruled out the possibility.
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Geez…. I hate reading people’s opinions on the camaro or other enthusiast vehicles. Because it’s always the poser writing the article.
First off, the Camaro 1-LT is the musclest muscle car engine out there. It bucks and grunts like a high torque mule. It’s loud and raucous. And it’s powerful.
Adding a nimble race car suspension, that can outperform some 6 figure sports cars at $45k pricing is only a point of contention to morons.
Secondly… I could say that the cheap plastic interior is a sore spot. But the mustang & challenger look like the interior was made with melted G.I. Joe’s. It just seems for some reason, people think that Chevy is supposed to give you a Mercedes interior for that $2k pricing premium. Not saying that ALL the muscle cars need to step up their interiors for the asking prices of all of the muscle car arena. But singling out the camaro is hypocrisy considering the mustang reminds me of 90s hyundai accent in terms of plastic quality. So I can’t see someone buying a mustang or challenger based on this. As cheap looking as the Camaro is, the competition is worse…
The tilted screen. Talk about petty. This is a talking point for a car review in the movie idiocracy. I guess tilted screens boggle people with a 90 IQ that God has gifted them with the ability to make enough money to buy a camaro. It may be odd but it’s one of the most efficient and accurate touch screens on the market. But we can’t talk about that now. We gotta find something wrong!!
NEXT!! Visibility…. what true sports car is open, airy, and highly visible? None. Though the mustang is not, it’s also not as capable as the camaro because they don’t take the same level of risks to achieve the same level of chassis rigidity and suspension geometry at the lower price points. But that said, placing your mirrors properly and ensuring the blind spot option makes this car totally drivable. I’d say the FAIL of Chevy was NOT making BSM standard.
THE LOOKS… So the challenger has looked identical for 14 years but the Chevy is supposed make the Gen 6 space ship that still looks and feels like a muscle car. The American market is so finicky. It’s no wonder Europe and Asia doesn’t sell us their best models. Who wants to hear a bunch of overweight, overprivileged, elitists that eat fast and frozen food all year complain about car quality. It’s an oxymoron for even my red blooded American arse. The dribble is boring.
Let’s really get to why the camaro has failed.
1. Too optimistic pricing in the overall market. All car companies overpriced cars. What ends up selling the car, is the dealership service and pricing. And finally… their willingness to honor warranties. GM is famous for dealers being uncooperative and unhelpful when a warranty issue occurs. This is where Chevy loses 50% of its repeat customers.
2. Poor feature packaging structures and overpriced options. Too much nickel and dimming and not enough features on the base cars.
The 1ss interior needs to be the base interior for all cars. Mustang doesn’t do that so Ford eliminated the alienation from the interior side of things. The 7″ and 8″ screen gimmick. You pay thousands more for a couple hundred dollars in improvements.
3. Overzealous pricing for the most desired 1le package. Once a 5k upgrade is now nearly an 8k upgrade.
No one is expecting to pay more than 50k for a top line SS which would add 1le to a 2SS. 45K for a 1SS.
V6 camaros going for over 40k… Who wants a 40k v6 muscle car??? The options at 40k over a v6 camaro are ridiculous.
And lastly, they did not do enough to get a good sound out of the 4 cylinder turbo, nor provide good aftermarket support for the turbo 4
When you add in poor corporate decision making. Abandoning combustion engine enthusiasts and not marketing the camaro properly. Yes, no one wants to buy an enthusiast car with a questionable future of support, when mustang and challenger are actually supporting the culture. So despite the cars being inferior to the camaro. The enthusiast culture is more grounded in mustang and dodge.
That’s where Chevy failed. Also why nissan has struggled as well. Just throwing that in…
The product doesn’t sell itself these days. People are drones and need to be brainwashed into buying your product. Having a superior product is not good enough.
Lastly. GM sold out to political hacks… AGAIN.
END OF STORY!
Ismael Rivera, terrific analysis and comment on the demise of the famed Camaro. A++
BTW: EV’s are not the cure for climate improvement. It’s the over population of the planet with eight billion+ souls, and all the ancillary support thereof. As Albert Einstein stated, ” Energy is neither created nor destroyed.”
Wow another smart person …..
Yes this planet is severely over populated
And that is why it is in so much trouble..
But when you tell people that they get angry…..
I think it’s a religious thing…
Just 2 countries in this world make up over half the population…
World population is increasing exponentially, meaning the higher the population growth, the faster it rises. 8 billion now will rise to double that in short order. It took all of human existence up to 1950 to reach
2.5 billion souls on earth, and witness what’s happened since then.
The planet Earth cannot sustain such growth indefinitely, and as with any natural ecosystem, will reduce the numbers until it can support
a given level of population. Religion won’t fix it, little will, except natural
forces. Anger will be a waste of time and energy.
You are on the money with your points
Especially when it comes to GMs reputation about warranty work.
Pricing is ridiculous too.
I hope they don’t do what Ford did and come out with a Camaro E…….
Back in the day no one could touch GM when it came to innovation.
GM was first with most all options.
Back in the 80s The Camaro and Firebird were the hot ticket items.
I had an 83 Firebird… known as kitt, from knight Rider….. Yes they weren’t high HP But they were gorgeous…..
Ford nor Dodge had anything that looked as good.
But what happened at GM ? They have lost there way….
GM killed Camaro sales by not EVER advertising it. I have had a 5th gen 2SS and 2 6th gen 2SS and I absolutely LOVE the cars. Most of the criticisms I hear about the car do not ring true at all. They sound like people repeating someone else’s lies about the car. I currently drive a 2020 2SS with 10 speed transmission and it is the best driving and performing car I have ever owned, hands down. I hate to think about this line being killed off over ignorance and a failure by GM to advertise the car in any way. As far as calling it ugly, I get more compliments about how beautiful the car is than any other car I’ve owned. It is FAR from ugly. What car are you all looking at???
SIX THINGS THAT WENT WRONG WITH THE 6TH GEN; OPINION
1 Mary Barra
2 Designers
3 EV bs
4 No Camaro advertising
5 GM totally lost touch with consumer and apparently doesn’t care
6 Trucks, trucks, trucks
Don’t forget to include SUVs, SUVs, and more SUVs ! That’s not only GM
as we should all know by now. This has to be the most boring era in vehicle design history.
Expensive low tier models never stopped people who wanted them bad enough. There are the performance enthusiasts to cater to for sure, and all the points raised above have their merits to certain degrees, but I think we can single out the major factor.
The outward appearance of the base models.
The current high end (mostly out of reach for the average consumer) Camaro models are the idealized version to get, but when I look at the base models, they just seem unacceptably terrible. I bet if GM flipped the design to where the higher end cosmetic stylings were the base model, more folks would get on board, especially the hugely underestimated female demographic.
Personally, I don’t like this latest gen trend of making the Camaro look like they hired ex-Honda designers. What happened to the distinctive design body lines? Why do the taillights look about as generic as they can possibly be? GM shouldn’t be keeping up with the crowd in the looks department. They should be ahead of them.
My ‘19 2SS 1LE was the best handling car I’ve ever owned, and I had a ‘17 C7 Z51 with a 7 speed. The Vette’s ass end would get jittery when pushed close to it’s limits in the corners. The Camaro was planted and was astonishing through the corners. 285s up front and 305s in the rear definitely helped. It had alcantara shifter, wheel and Recaro seats, blind spot monitors and one of the best HUD systems. PDR was cool too. Having a sunroof eliminated the whole claustrophobic, sitting in a cave thing. Ya there was some plastic pieces but when I’m blasting through S bends at 160kph (Canadian Eh) and not even sensing wheel slippage, to me that’s a hell of a trade off. Watch Throttle House, they compare a 1LE to a GT with the PP2 package and they like the Camaro better except the visibility. Plus the Camaro whooped it’s ass in the track test.
I love my 17 RS 3.6. I plan to add an SS in two years, to the garage. Perks of no kids.
I will admit I think its the styling of the 2019+ (they took all of the sharp lines out of the front), pricing, and interior storage.
Otherwise, fantastic car.
Biggest problem: Mary B.
Compared to the Dodge Challenger and Charger, the Camaro is tight on the inside with no rear seat roo at all.
Why is the Camaro (and GM – for that matter) dying?
One reason:
Mary Barra (and her “leadership”).
Durability, reliability, styling, materials, engine offerings, and pricing have ALL gone in the wrong direction ever since she has become CEO.
Argue if you wish (you’ll lose) but the numbers don’t lie.
Sales are in the toilet – Even before COVID.
Styling is not keeping up except for a few models (trucks, Corvette)
Materials (plastics) are often considered the worst of all manufacturers.
GM is among, if not the worst in reliability/durability issues – short and long-term.
The new vehicles and “reimagined” models are off-the-mark at best and, more often than not, are dead on arrival.
The engine offerings are anemic at best – A sea of underpowered, unreliable 4 cylinders are replacing V6s and the V8 engines that have been the staple of GM for going on 70 years.
A 4 cylinder full-size pickup truck ?!?!?!!!!
(Ford tried it, their Ecoboost trucks & SUVs were/are junk) – Way to pay attention to the market, Mary…..🤦🏻♂️
I love the 6th gen Camaro, and I think it’s the greatest Camaro ever made. I love the fact that it’s evolved into a SPORTS CAR. Calling a Camaro a “Muscle Car” is almost an insult to how good it is. Muscle Car means only fast in a straight line. Sports car means it’s track capable. The 2019 to current facelift looks great, and brings back the retro look from the 2010 Camaros, and I prefer it way more than the 2016-2018 models. I love my 6th gen Camaro, and I can’t wait to see the 7th gen.
Keep the retro styling. Keep it a sports car, and NOT a muscle car. The one reason that makes the Camaro better than any other American sports car, is the AMAZING handling that comes with it. I don’t care about what the general mass of the haters say, I absolutely LOVE the 6th gen Camaro, and is one of the greatest sports cars ever made.
As my last new car(04 Monte Carlo) fades into rust world, I ordered a 21 RS.. after 6 months I was told my order became a 22 RS.. now I’m told maybe may or June, or maybe never.. I like the car, faults and all, and am willing to pay 40g,,, and I still can’t get a car?..F… suv s and trucks…will nascar go to racing suv s? Ohhh , can’t wait
“No visibility”, – that`s what side view mirrors are for. In my opinion, that Camaro roof looks great, sitting low respective to the body. Sitting inside, the windows are like gun slits, so what, it`s COOL!
I have a Riverside Blue Camaro 3.6 with the Tremec 6 speed manual. 6.8k. I bought it to race it. I added an Edelbrock E-Force Supercharger and a Bilstein B-14 PSS system. I took it to Universally Modified Performance. They totally added a custom tune with 468RWHP. That’s 518 SAE Horsepower. I added a SS splitter, SS diffuser, SS tailights including blacked out 3rd light. A 30% tint, Pioneer powered subwoofer TS-WX1210A
Let me tell you. It is damn scary to keep ypur foot in it. Drive Carefully.
I have loved owning 6 generations of the Camaro. Yes I agree the Camaro is lacking in sales indeed. The Camaro is going away in 2024. I have seen pictures of a concept 7th generation Camaro. If GM decides to build a new Camaro and its a mid engine design built to look a MCCLAREN racecar its going to smoke the hell out of Challenger and Mustang sales. Hell GM build one thats EV and a Hybrid while your at it. And if your going to build a new Camaro thats looks like a racecar make sure its mid engine design has 800 HP. Now that the the Camaro will be gone in 2024 are they planning to bring back a Retro 69-70 Chevelle? Well Guys and Gals I guess we will all have to wait and see what GM does. GM get it right this time.
love the 6th generation. ive owned a 2017 4cyl then i traded it in for 2021 camaro v6, both great cars, both fun to drive, no problems with visibilyt or anything…the real problem is that it lost its “muscular” look, go to a camaro show and just “look” at a 5th generation and 6th generation sitting next to each other…I love the alpha platform and what the 6th generation offers, but man, the 5th generation is just muscular and awesome. it was heavier, but hey it had a hand brake, nice wheels, nice look, had the camaro name written on the side, it was just a great looking car. the 6th is great, but too sleek….if they could have somehow just left the 5th geneartion alone and let its body style go for 15 years the camaro would be the top seller and crush the challenger and mustang…look at the challenger and still musclar, and they have over 18 exterior color options as well…if the camaro could have just had exterior color options and stayed muscular there would never be this conversation…if they could somehow have a 7th geneartion camaro combining the 5th and 6th together, take the muscular look of the 5th and the enginnerring of the 6th they could have the best car out there….
I’ll add my analysis as I have owned and driven mote F bodies than anyone who doesn’t work for a car magazine.
It’s ugly.The retro styling is a fad with a shelf life of roughly 2 months.Then it’s a caricature.
It’s overweight.Obvious when the 6th gen needed 130 plus horsepower to finally out run a 2002 SS or WS6
GM uses Porsche’s option pricing as in one needs to oder a package for 1 desirable item that also includes alot of unessasary tech options that do nothing for the driving g experience and everything to add thousands of dollars to an already overpriced vehicle. It’s a Camaro, for years many came with crank windows but you didn’t mind cause you wanted the acceleration and handling..
Finally. ..the Transformers movie drove up interest in the car just like the IROC and Ram Air packages were introduced. Once that subscided,all but the dedicated GM fans lost interest in the ge hicken overnight.
Honestly, you sound like someone who never drove the 6th gen and can’t catch up with inflation to afford one.
I’ll give you this much, the current pricing has gone out too far. A 1SS in my opinion is worth about 37,000 and a 2SS is worth 40,000 and with a 1LE pkg I’d say 5,500 on each corresponding model is good enough. Their 50k pricing is a stretch in terms of quality.
But I own a 2SS with breather mods and a 1LE suspension upgrade and have beat everything I’ve raced except a GTR and a modified M3v8.
Being an former owner of several imports I found the 6th gen camaro SS to handle far superior to any car of its past. Maybe it could use a more consistent automatic transmission, like a DCT, And if it weighed a straight 3600 lbs it would’ve been optimum.
But the mag ride suspension was often compared to Ferrari for its vastly different mode settings. I agree as I’ve driven a 458. While I’m not ready to compare the 2 in overall driving experience. There’s no way a camaro drives like a Ferrari. But what it does do is achieve the same differences in road agility thru a mag ride technology. Both cars can drive soft and compliant. Then turn it up and it’s stiff and nimble.
The camaro has nothing in its price range that outperforms it at the moment. Not even the old mustang gt350 with an 80k price tag could out handle the SS. Jump to a 1LE and it got destroyed from a handling perspective. It’s built on a cadillac chassis which was 2nd in stiffness only to an Alfa Romeo Giulia and its hp to tq ratio kept the car in its power band in every gear at every RPM.
I’m not going to knock your favorite cars, they were good in their day. But even then, JDM cars had a better advantage in handling. What I will say though, your perception of the 6th gen clearly either comes from ignorance, hate or just trolling?
Enjoy your car. Have a goodnight.
How many of you see a late 1960s Camaro and say wow that thing is so cool looking ?
And how many say the same today? Not many.
The Camero just doesn’t have the look of the original car.
Today’s Mustang still looks good. I still do a double take. Especially if it has the muscular look of the Boss ect.
The Camero just doesn’t have the look anymore.
And Mary doesn’t give a crap because it’s not a Cadillac or EV.
Dump Cadillac and bring back PONTIAC. Pontiac was the division for the masses
Bring back MANUAL transmissions
Bring back GM
Dump Mary